Patent Law News

USPTO Releases List of Top 10 Universities Receiving Most Patents in 2003

The Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced the top 10 U.S. universities receiving the most patents during calendar year 2003. Listed below are the 10 universities receiving the most patents for inventions in 2003, along with their 2002 ranking. The University of California tops the list for the tenth consecutive year.

"American innovation has long set the pace for technological advancement worldwide," said Jon Dudas, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property. "Academic researchers, and the inventions they patent, are integral to the progress of the science and technology that strengthen the economy, create new jobs and enhance the health and welfare of all Americans.”

This report presents a preliminary list of the U.S. universities receiving the most patents for invention (i.e., utility patents) during the 2003 calendar year. All campuses are included.

   Rank in 2003* Number of Patents in 2003* Organization*  (Rank in 2002)  (Number of Patents in 2002)

1. 439 University of California (1) (431)
2.139 California Institute of Technology (3) (110)
3. 127 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2) (135)
4. 96 University of Texas (5) (93)
5. 85 Stanford University (4) (104)
6. 84 University of Wisconsin (6**) (81)
7. 70 Johns Hopkins University (6**) (81)
8. 63 University of Michigan (12) (47)
9. 61 Columbia University (13) (45)
10. 59 Cornell University (21**) (35)
      59 University of Florida (15) (42)

*The listed patent counts are preliminary. The final listing of patent counts for U.S. universities in 2003 should be
available in late December of 2004.

** Indicates a tie in the ranking among two or more U.S. universities.

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	Did You Know?
	A patent protects your invention. A patent for an invention is a grant of property rights by the U.S. Government through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent grant excludes others from making, using, or selling the invention in the United States. The terms "Patent Pending" and "Patent Applied For" are used to inform the public that an application for a patent has been filed. Patent protection does not start until the actual grant of a patent. Marking of an article as patented, when it is not, is illegal and subject to penalty.